Artemis II will be the first mission to fly astronauts around the Moon in over 50 years. This 10-day flight will be the first test with humans aboard our Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket, launching from our spaceport in Florida. Artemis II won't land on the surface of the Moon, but it will help prepare us for Artemis III and future missions that will establish a long-term presence at the Moon for exploration and scientific discovery.
While the Artemis II astronauts have been training for their upcoming mission, teams across NASA have been preparing as well. We've been running simulations to work through every possible launch scenario, practicing recovery efforts for when the astronauts splash down in the Pacific Ocean, and going through every procedure during the mission with a fine-tooth comb.
Today, we’re excited to talk to you about the progress we’ve made toward the mission, and what our next steps are for launching four people around the Moon. Ask us anything!
We are:
- Matt Ramsey, Artemis II mission manager (MR)
- Jeff Radigan, Artemis II flight director (JR)
- Jacki Mahaffey, Artemis II chief training officer (JM)
- Jeremy Graeber, assistant launch director (JG)
- Lili Villarreal, Artemis landing and recovery director (LV)
and we’ll be here at 1 p.m. EDT (1700 UTC) to answer your questions about the Artemis II mission.
AMA: We're members of the NASA team preparing for the Artemis II mission — which will fly four astronauts around the Moon in early 2026. Ask us anything!
byu/nasa inspace
19 Comments
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Have you leveraged anything from the Apollo 10 mission to prepare for Artemis II?
What entertainment are you allowed to bring with you? Nintendo Switch?
It will probably take several years till Artemis III because the HLS isn’t ready. What is the reason for doing Artemis II now and not closer to III with a new heatshield?
Do you think this mission is actually going to happen in 2026?
I don’t have any questions, just wanted to wish you all best of luck on your mission!
Hello Artemis II Team!
Just a couple of questions, would be thrilled if you can answer any of them 🙂
1. What kind of scientific instruments are you bringing with you on Artemis II?
2. Is there any kind of data you’re specifically looking for in preparation for Artemis III and beyond, such as landing site selection or accessible water ice?
3. Is there anything new you’re bring up on Artemis II that’s never been tested/used in space before?
Thanks!
If Artemis II is the rehearsal for Artemis III, and you busted your heat shield on Artemis I, isn’t it pretty sketch to send them out on Artemis II with the same flawed heat shield and no flight opportunity to test the improved heat shield before Artemis III?
What was the crew’s perspective on the Orion heat shield issue? Was it as dire as it was portrayed?
Thanks for all the hard work you and team are doing! No doubt it’s a huge undertaking. My Qs are:
1. How much were you able to learn (or copy) from how Apollo 8 went about TLI and trans lunar coast; or did you have to work it all out afresh?
2. To what extent is Artemis III still a ‘question mark’ of will-it-happen? Or are you secure in the funding and it’s just a question of when launch will be possible? It’s tricky because I see your (NASA) publications being very assured, but the news media seems more sceptical.
Can you give us details of the radiation shielding or other mitigating factors such as flight path through the van allen belt that will keep the astronauts safe?
Is the Lunar Gateway still planned to be used for later Artemis missions? Any updates on its status? Thanks!
Question for Jacki Mahaffey if I may! – I see that Wiseman and Glover were test pilots and Hanson was also military, while Koch is non-military. I’m curious – when recruiting astronauts, what are the highest priority factors you have in mind, and in what order? Eg are military/piloting experience, or mental/physical fortitude as pivotal as they were in the Gemini days, or has more advanced tech in the cockpit (for example) allowed those to become less central? Thanks so much!
Do astronauts still have a ceremonial “last meal” the night before? What do most astronauts crave when they land?
Thank you so much for doing this! As someone fortunate enough to work as an engineer on the Artemis Program, I know that there’s a whole lot more that goes into a flight around the moon than you would think. What would you say is/has been the hardest part of preparing for the Artemis II mission? Also, what are you looking forward to most in the weeks leading up to launch (excluding launch itself)? Super excited to get a glimpse into what you guys do, thanks for making the Artemis Mission possible!
Hello Artemis II.
I understand that during long missions aboard the ISS, the Coupolla is a highly beneficial place for you on a psychological level by helping you maintain a direct visual link with Earth.
How do you approach long-term missions in lunar orbit without this direct visual link?
THANKS.
How closely do you work with ESA and other space organizations for this project?
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I’ve seen in this thread:
|Fewer Letters|More Letters|
|——-|———|—|
|[ESA](/r/Space/comments/1mpyh41/stub/n8n8vdq “Last usage”)|European Space Agency|
|[HLS](/r/Space/comments/1mpyh41/stub/n8mxyxk “Last usage”)|[Human Landing System](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_program#Human_Landing_System) (Artemis)|
|[TLI](/r/Space/comments/1mpyh41/stub/n8n20f7 “Last usage”)|Trans-Lunar Injection maneuver|
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Will there be constant live feeds for all to see ?